Controls Over Export Sales Reporting and Futures Trading Help Ensure Fairness, Integrity, and Pricing Efficiency in the U.S. Grain Marketing System

摘要

The U.S. grain marketing system provides a means by which large quantities of grain valued in the billions of dollars are moved from America's farmland to domestic and foreign users. As the size, scope, and dominance of this system have grown in recent years, so has the question of whether additional regulation is needed to ensure that system participants are treated fairly and that the financial and economic soundness of the marketplace is protected. GAO found that, at present, controls established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and private industry over export sales reporting and certain aspects of futures trading help ensure fairness and soundness in the U.S. grain marketing system. GAO believes, however, that continued rapid expansion in grain marketing and related futures markets needs watching to ensure that regulatory staffs keep up with the workload.